There presently exists some prior art relating to a stop used on a wrench. By way of example, refer to U.S. Pat. No. 6,865,971 to Ernesti. However, many of these stop constructions are permanent and do not provide the ability for a selective use of the stop structure. Other prior art wrench constructions that employ a stop are relatively complex in construction and are thus impractical from a commercial standpoint. Other examples are found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,168 to Carminati; U.S. Pat. No. 5,983,758 to Tanner; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,228,764 to Macor.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved wrench stop, and one that is, in particular, of simplified construction and yet effective in providing a stop or catch for preventing the wrench from slipping off of a bolt head or nut.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved wrench stop in which the stop member thereof is selectively movable so as to function either as a stop or having a retracted position in which the wrench can be used in its normal manner.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide an improved wrench stop that can be used with a variety of different types of wrenches including open-end wrenches, box-type wrenches, ratchet and non-ratchet wrenches.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved wrench stop or retainer for preventing a wrench from disengaging from a head member that is to be turned, and in which the retainer or stop can be manufactured inexpensively, is readily adapted to existing wrench constructions, and is of simplified design.